No. 25 Arizona won its fifth straight game and became bowl eligible with a 39-3 win over Iowa State on Homecoming Saturday at Casino del Sol Stadium.
“We always say, ‘Expectations mean nothing when the standard never changes,'” Arizona freshman linebacker Dash Fifita said about becoming eligible for a bowl. “This is our standard, so we’re not surprised.”
This is the second consecutive season Arizona (6-1, 3-1, Big 12) became bowl eligible on Homecoming weekend. Last year the Wildcats became bowl eligible with a 24-20 win over Kansas in a thriller.
The Wildcats haven’t lost at home since the 33-27 double overtime loss against BYU; they’re still undefeated since the name change from Arizona Stadium to Casino del Sol Stadium.
The Wildcats welcomed back Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, a Mountain View graduate, as an honorary captain. Flannigan-Fowles played safety for the Wildcats from 2015-18 and went undrafted to the San Francisco 49ers in 2019.
The connection between fifth-year quarterback Noah Fifita and sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Mizell picked up right where they left off in the last game . On the second play of the game, Fifita heaved a 71-yard pass to Mizell for the touchdown. The surprise two-point attempt was successful, giving the Wildcats an early 8-0 lead.
“I’m an old receiver guy; I’m an offensive guy. There is nothing prettier than a completed deep ball for a touchdown,” coach Brent Brennan said about the touchdown two plays into the game.
With the victory, Fifita becomes the winningest quarterback in Arizona history with 29 wins and counting.
“Noah Fifita continues to be just unbelievable, and more people need to talk about him,” Brennan said.
“It’s been a dream come true; this thing is flying by so fast,” Dash Fifita said about being able to play with his brother. “I just got to cherish every night, every day, every practice with him and enjoy it while it lasts.”
After forcing a three-and-out on defense, the Arizona offense marched down the field, capping it off with a 6-yard touchdown run by fifth-year Quincy Craig for an early 15-point advantage.
Iowa State (3-4, 1-3) started to get rolling, but fifth-year safety Malcolm Hartzog Jr. came up with a 10-yard sack, making the Cyclones settle for a 40-yard field goal by junior kicker Kyle Konrardy to get them on the board before the end of the first quarter.
Arizona responded with a field goal of its own with a 53-yarder by junior kicker Michael Salgado-Medina.
Iowa State drove down the field again but didn’t want to settle for the field goal. The Cyclones decided to go for it on 4th and 3. Junior safety Cam Chapa made the stop to give the ball back to Fifita and the offense.
“I think the combination of our staff doing a great job evaluating that we think can help us and then doing a really good job of developing them when they get here,” Brennan said about the coaches’ and team’s ability to still have a dominant secondary despite losing many key players from last season.
After getting the ball back, the offense drained the clock, running 15 plays all the way down to a little past the two-minute timeout. Senior running back Kedrick Reescano found the end zone from 6 yards out, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 25-3.
“They’re unselfish, and they are great team guys,” Brennan said about his running back room. “They find multiple ways to contribute to our team.”
The Cyclones attempted a backwards pass leading to a fumble, recovered by junior cornerback Tyrese Boss, giving the Wildcats the ball with under a minute left in the half.
The Wildcats couldn’t capitalize. A 31-yard attempt by Salgado-Medina missed wide right.
Starting the second half, Iowa State made the switch at quarterback from senior Jaylen Raynor to sophomore Connor Moberly.
Both offenses struggled moving the ball in the third quarter.
Midway through the fourth, the Wildcats extended their lead with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Fifita to freshman tight end Henry Gabalis, making it 32-3.
“The coaches believed in me, the whole team, the tight ends believed in me,” said Gabalis, who completed the 2-point conversion pass on a trick play after Fifita’s 71-yard touchdown pass to Mizell.
After turning the Cyclones over on downs, with short field position, Arizona brought in sophomore quarterback Sawyer Anderson to take over the rest of the game. Anderson added another touchdown, rushing for 4 yards, making the final score 39-3.
What’s Next?
Arizona goes to Lubbock, Texas, for its biggest game of the season on Halloween morning against the defending Big 12 champions, No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders. Kickoff is at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time on ESPN.
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